


Legendary - The Bystander

by PKofLight



Series: Linked Universe - Legendary Works [8]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), The Greatest Bystander of All Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 09:16:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PKofLight/pseuds/PKofLight
Summary: They were all special. They were all damaged and in need of rest. They were kind and helpful to most that they met. They were all those things, but she loved all of them. She only wished that they knew that.
Relationships: The Links and Their Master Sword
Series: Linked Universe - Legendary Works [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1348507
Comments: 5
Kudos: 155





	Legendary - The Bystander

To say that it had been entirely by chance would be incorrect.

In truth, a lot of Hyrule's established history had been written by Her hand, and planned by Her design. Her choices that She had made had shaped the land into what it was today. She had initially selected him as Her servant, the one chosen by the gods, chosen by the Triforce, and destined to be reborn with every crisis that Hyrule had bore witness to. And, it was by Her decree, that he would have a sword, a shield, and an outfit in green, so as to be memorable to the people, so that they would know that he was there to save them, and so that the magic that existed in their country of Hyrule would know that it was Him.

Their savior, their hero chosen by the gods, their humble servant to Her Grace, here to finally test the claims of being gifted with Courage. Tested by numerous tasks and dungeons. Sometimes, he bore this pain alone. Others, he had a friend or two to bear it alongside him.

No... that was also incorrect, for most of the time, he had his own humble servant, gifted to him upon proving himself worthy of bearing her hilt.

She remembered him, yes. She always remembered him.

And always, she would recognize him, even the two that never clenched the hilt of her blade. To her, they all had appeared similar to each other in her vision, all bearing the same Hero's Spirit, shining with a bright glow of forest green, coupled with the light of Hero's Courage, and potent with the luster of Her Blessing. To her, it was the most beautiful glow, but there was a high probability that she was biased. She had been designed to be loyal to him, to aid the Hero. Of course his shine in the world's magical auras was the most beautiful to her, even outshining that of Her Grace's in her opinion.

He had been brought into another journey. Her Chosen had been gifted the use of her once more, as well. And this time, he had by his side eight other Heroes from across time in many directions, each with the same shine that he bore. To her, each was as beautiful and unique as the next, even the two that she knew had never touched the hilt of her blade, of the Master Sword. It was a pleasant surprise, how similar and yet how different they were to her, how much they each shined in their own unique way. She had missed him, even if she was now horribly limited to what she could do in order to serve him. Her physical form now nothing but a sword, she was left with just her chimes and glows.

If one of the others were to hold her, as opposed to Her Chosen, she could feel them close to her. Their hold was just as much of a security blanket as her Master's hands had become to her. All of them still felt different, their glows as unique despite being so similar. And yet, she had grown to love then.

Her Chosen felt the same to her as always, like a warm breeze in an endless sky. Like the red feathers of a Loftwing. He always felt calming to her, at peace, and caring. She had come to know him greatly on their adventures, so his energy was the most recognizable to her. His shine glowed with such passion for Her Grace, his faith never ending and always feeling that what She planned, there was a good reason. He always yearned to listen to Her, to her, too, and paid close attention to her chimes.

The Deity... was quite different in that regard. He had yet to grip the hilt of the blade on this adventure, but she knew that he had in the past. His soul and glow was fractured through time, his appearance divided into thirds, covered in the scars of Fate. It was drenched in a fierceness that she could not place, but had grown accustomed to. Despite all that, he shone with a caring, fatherly affection for the others.

The Wolf's shone like an animal, like the one that she had decided to name him after. He bore a canine loyalty to the others, evident in how it reached out to them in moments of need. It was dipped in the magics of Twilight, always feeling as if he were plunged into an eternal dusk or dawn, and never in the daylight of the sun. Though he always appeared the same in her vision, apparently there were times he was in the form of a wolf.

The Waker moved about like an ocean tide. He was energetic, with a strong sense of the world's compass, and the world's magic swirled around him as if he were the source of wind itself, or even steam. He was always cheerful, a bright sun for all of them to enjoy. She appreciated his energy, always feeding off of it when she could.

The Traveller had never bore her on his journey, but she loved him. He was weathered and kind, his aura humble and not trying to outshine the others. He had a variability and stubborn bravery that she could not place, but one thing that made him so separate from the others was how rich in magic his aura was. It shone just like all of theirs did, but with the potency of a fairy.

The Lost was fractured into two pieces, with one part faded just as his memory was. He flowed about like a stream of water, or a flurry of fire, a flash of lightning, or even a breeze of a cloud. He was touched by Death, but had not given in, his aura merged with the energies of the past souls he had once befriended.

The Four was the most curious. He was four, his green mixed in with other colours as flawlessly and effortlessly as could be. The courageous green, commanding and dependable. The compassionate red, ripe with emotion. The powerful blue, strong with confidence. The observant violet, thoughtfully insightful. It was all rich with a touch of mythical wonder that she could not place.

The Warrior was full of a responsible disposition, flush with the feeling and agonizing pain of war. It was an aura full of the feeling of Time, as if he had crossed through the very Gates themselves. The over confidence and touching romantic was countered only with the warm touch of a scarf, crafted with love.

The Mirror was halved with a double side like a reflection. The aura was terrorized with the feeling of dreams, ages, seasons and the past, his aura seemingly crafted with paint as opposed to magic. It was shielded off all the time, defensive and protective, never opting or reaching out the others except in times of need.

They were all special. They were all damaged and in need of rest. They were kind and helpful to most that they met. They were all those things, but she loved all of them. She only wished that they knew that.

This journey was not going to be easy for them, but they had each other for support. Perhaps they had not realized it right away, but she knew that over time, her Masters would come to learn to lean on each other when they were in need of it. They were always prepared to, as a wordless contract of sorts, even when the Warrior had collapsed with illness early on in their journey. They had, as she knew they would, rushed to his aid and called it a night in the middle of noon.

Her Chosen, her first Master, often spoke to her when they were alone. He would tell her things he would not tell the others – worries that he had, dreams he had suffered through. He told her of the Mirror, lacking the ability to sleep often despite the dreamlike state to his form. How the Deity often woke early and played his ocarina, tainted with the mystical magic that gave it its gifts. Her Chosen had told her of the dream with Sparrot that he had, and how he had come to decide to trust the others and appreciate them with his heart. She chimed in response, telling him in her own little way that he already did, and they had already trusted him as well. He had spoken to her about the Four as well, when he had become the different colours of his soul, and he had frozen in place and become unresponsive upon becoming one once more. She had tried to reassure him them as well, to tell him that the Four's soul was merely trying to piece itself back together after the rushed merging.

But her voice was too weak. He had been unable to understand.

It hurt, them being unable to hear her, to know that her chimes were more than just mere little sounds, that her glows were not just ominous or suspicious. All she could do was take the looks of disdain she knew were coming from the Mirror or the Deity. All she could do was be a bystander as her Masters swept themselves in a storm over the water, as the Waker tried to steer them free, and the Mirror had become frozen, already capsized in the midst of his memories, lost in the dream sands of time, experiences and trauma. She wished to be of aid. She wished to assist Her Chosen and the Deity as they tried to free him from his thoughts.

Then came the time the Traveller had been gravely injured in battle, when a club had smashed against the ribs of his body, breaking them. She had known right away what had happened, for she was always able to determine the state of her Masters, however unable she knew she was able to convey it. They had rushed to tend to him when it had become apparent, taking him to the Mirror's Reflection. He had done all he could, and she appreciated him for it. He had saved one of his Reflections, one of her Masters.

It had not all been danger and horror, though, had it? No, she recalled with fondness the Wolf and the Lost showing their brothers and fellow Heroes what shield-surfing was, leaving the Mirror in charge of the Four and the Waker. Her Masters... always willing to have a little bit of fun along the journey. Fi would not change them for the world, for they were perfect for her just the way they were. She had learned her lesson the first time she had done it, and she would never repeat it.

She would always remain with them. She would always wait to be reunited, whether in this life or the next. Fi would always remain at his side so long as she could help it.

And now, here they were, and she had nine of him. She would not change this moment, or this journey, for anything.

Once more, they had found themselves in the vast ocean that made up most of the Waker's Hyrule, as he once more sailed them across the sea. Upon their arrival in this Hyrule, a friend of the Waker's had arrived, a small creature with an aura of bark, leaves and life. Hovering about in the air, he had spoken with a soft voice, excited and welcoming the Waker and his friends to an island known as Forest Haven.

“Yeah, that's a great idea!” chimed the Waker, his voice as ecstatic as his energy, as it flowed about like a torrential storm and he danced about the deck. “We can go to the Forest Haven! If anyone has any kind of info or advice for us here, it'll be there!”

Fi wondered who would be the first to spill the bag, as the other energies on the deck just stayed still for a moment.

“What's at the Forest Haven?” asked the Traveller, his voice ever curious. “I would have thought that you'd want to take us back to Grandma for some more soup.”

“We can stop by there after if we have the time!” the Waker assured him. “But, don't you want some good ol' counsel?”

A light laugh came from the Mirror. For a moment, his energy pooled into the Waker's, and she imagined him ruffling his hair like an older sibling would have to a younger one. “The pike's right, we should gather some more intel before getting wrapped up in where we want to go.”

“We would love to have you, Link, and all your friends,” stated the small Korok as he floated about their ship. “I think everyone would be happy to see you again!”

She could see the Mirror's amusement in the Korok's excited tone. “Oh, got some friends there, huh, little pike?”

“Well, yeah! I got friends practically everywhere.”

Finally, the Warrior's energy stepped forward, and Fi could feel Her Chosen straighten, taking his attention from the group to give it to the Warrior. “Hey... don't want to spoil the fun, but, who are you guys all talking to? Pirate's been talking to thin air.”

“No I'm not!”

“We were talking to thin air? The little guy is right there.”

Fi chimed in amusement, and she could hear Her Chosen give a small sigh. “I guess only some of us can see him, then.”

“Aww, that's sad,” came the voice of the little Korok. “The Great Deku Tree did say that only some Hylians can see us. I guess some of your friends aren't able to, Link.”

The Waker was quiet for a moment. “Well, that doesn't make any sense, we're all technically Link.”

“Quick, sound off,” came the Mirror. “Who can see him? I can.”

“Me too,” said the Traveller.

“Korok's right there,” added the Lost.

“I don't,” sighed the Warrior.

“No...?” added the Wolf. “Though there is a weird smell.”

“The Korok looks like some kind of a forest seed, so I'm going to assume that's why,” added the Deity.

“He looks kind of cute,” added the Four. “Like a Minish.”

“Right?” quickly replied the Waker.

“Reminds me more of a Kikwi,” chimed Her Chosen, and she glowed in agreement. “Maybe they're related.”

“Okay, so we've got two that can't see him. Huh,” pondered the Mirror. If she could be honest for a moment, she was quite pleased with his progress. He was doing so well on this trip regarding the sail, but she could tell that he was still very anxious.

“That's okay, I'm sure they'll still be able to see the really important part,” stated the Waker, an air of confidence flowing through his natural breeze.

“You mean the Great Deku Tree? Everyone should see him just fine,” stated Makar cheerfully. “I'm sure your friends would like to meet him! He's always got something interesting to say.”

There was a long pause, only broken by the Warrior loudly wondering what was just said.

It was the Deity that finally broke the silence. “... Great Deku Tree, huh?”

She imagined that the Waker had nodded then. “Yeah, he rules over the Forest Haven. Gave me some advice, too!”

“It must be a Great Deku Tree thing,” added the Lost, his energy swirling about in a nod. “The one I met had some info to share as well.”

“Well, even if I can't see who you're talking to, I'm interested in meeting this Deku Tree,” commented the Wolf, as he moved to inspect the air next to the Waker. “Must be quite the good intel giver if you're wanting to go see him this much.”

“That's  _ Great  _ Deku Tree, Ranchhand,” the Deity stressed.

“I know a couple of big talking trees, too. Except they're called Maku Trees,” commented the Mirror.

Fi felt Her Chosen chuckle, as he stepped up and moved. She imagined she was placing his hand on someone's shoulder, as his energy swirled to meet with the Waker's. “How about we get moving? There's only so much daylight.”

“Yeah. I'm trying to keep calm, but let's go so we're not on this death trap longer than necessary.”

A swirl of energy, and the boys had all split off to get the ship moving, moving across the vast ocean to an island of pure life in the far distance. Fi could sense it – could see the tree's energy from from so far away. She chimed to Her Chosen, trying to convey the beauty of it, the miracle that was the life of the forest they were going to. He stayed quiet, moving so that he could take her off of the belt on his back, cradling her sheath gently in his hands. She knew the expression on his face, even with her limited sight. No words needed to be said between the two of them.

“I can see it,” he said to her gently. “I wish you could, too.”

The Waker docked the ship, and he and Makar began to lead the way for the others toward the entrance of the grove. The inside was vibrant and full of life, with many Koroks floating about above them. Those of her Masters that could see them had paused at the sight, while the Warrior and the Wolf were left mildly confused of their awe. The Waker stepped up then and lead the way around, towards a large platform before the largest tree.

Fi could see all the energy swirling about, the river that flowed, the plants that grew, and the largest tree with the sentient energy coursing through it. She noticed when the Lost had moved, distracted by something far in the distance and he had wandered away, true to the name he had granted her. A loud sigh came from the Wolf as soon as he noticed, his spirit trailing away as he went off to search. That left them as the Waker and the Korok led the group up to the largest Tree in the Haven.

“Great Deku Tree!” chimed Makar, hopping to and fro in one spot. “I brought Link!”

“It's really good to see you again,” commented the Waker. His spirit bent, and she imagined that he had bowed before the Tree. “I have some friends with me as well. I hope you don't mind the extra company!”

“... Of course not, Link. All of you is welcome here in this Haven,” stated the Great Deku Tree. “I called you here, I wished to see all of you.” The others approached, and Fi wondered if they were all staring up at the Tree in awe as he spoke. “... So much diversity among you, and yet, enough of a similarity that I can tell you are all who you are supposed to be. Is this everyone?”

Fi heard the Deity give a quick headcount. “No, we're missing two. It's an honour to meet you, Great Deku Tree.”

“You are one that has the life of the Kokiri Forest in you,” stated the Great Deku Tree. “Welcome home, Link, child of the Kokiri Forest.”

The Deity froze.

“... Um...” cut in the Four, “... Makar said that you wished to see our friend, here?”

Makar floated up before them. “A while ago, the Great Deku Tree sensed Link's return to this area, but he hadn't any idea why!”

“I guess I  _ did  _ say I was going on a long journey,” the Waker commented, much to the amusement of the Four and the Warrior.

The Great Deku Tree hummed. “Yes... It was quite remarkable, Link. One moment, you were in the Distant Land that you had renamed Hyrule. The next... gone! No sign of where you went. And then... here again! Floating in the sea, returning to your home island.”

The Waker floated about again. Perhaps a stern nod? “Yeah, we've been chasing... a thing. But the portals and the movement are... random, I guess. Last time we were here, we hit a storm on the way to my Grandma's.”

“I hope your grandma was okay!” chimed Makar.

“She was actually very pleasant,” answered the Four. “Gave us soup and everything.”

“Apparently that's normal for her,” added Her Chosen.

The response from the Great Deku Tree, however, was a low and thoughtful hum, before he shifted the conversation back to the matter at hand. “It has not entirely been random, Link... You go where the Shadow goes.” the Great Deku Tree comment caused all nine of Fi's Masters to stiffen at the thought. “The Shadow is yours, an extension of thyself, of all of you, and all that you are. As you are the Hero Chosen By The Gods, so too should there be a Shadow in place to tame you.”

“... What?” asked the Mirror.

The Warrior stepped up then, right next to the Waker. “I'm not sure I get it... Can you explain, please, Great Deku Tree?”

Fi imagined if a tree could nod, the Great Deku Tree would have, then. “Of course, Link. The Shadow is a dark reflection of the Hero, formed and constructed by shadow magic long ago.” His words, based on the readings Fi was getting of her Masters' spirits, was causing some upset among them. “Even if there is a chance that not all of you have encountered it before on your journeys, each of you have a Shadow that reflects you and what you stand for. It is a construct unique to you, Link, and was formed as a trial for you to undertake, as a battle against thyself. A testament of your true power, and your abilities to overcome even the hardest of challenges.”

The Traveller's energy turned away. “Then... is that why we're all on this journey now...? But I've already faced a dark reflection of myself already.”

“Perhaps you have, Link, but this is one formed by all the reflections.” The phrase caused a gasp among the group.

The Waker stepped up before all of them, his ocean tide of energy crashing about in an endless storm. “Is that why you called us here? To tell us about that? So this one that we're chasing... it's all of them at once?!”

Makar hopped about distressed. “Great Deku Tree! That's horrible! Is there anything we can do to help Link... er... all the Links?!”

“This is a trial and a challenge for him to take, in all nine forms,” answered the Great Deku Tree. “Before you, Makar, stands nine different versions of Link – one Link in nine bodies, if you will. And their one enemy is a reflection of that, all nine in one body.”

Fi hummed in annoyance in Her Chosen's ear. The Great Deku Tree could not be more wrong in his observation.

“I see,” stated Makar in a calm and thoughtful tone. Fi chimed in annoyance at  _ that _ , too.

“Shhh,” Her Chosen quietly hushed at her. She gave one final hum in defiance, before going silent as he had wished.

The Deity sighed, clearly already bored of this discussion. “So, in your words, it's just another trial from the Gods? One more thing we all have to do?”

“Give me a break,” muttered the Mirror as he turned away.

“I am merely offering the information that I have gathered from my observations, Link. You go wherever your Shadow has run off to. Whether or not you find him is all entirely up to you.” The Great Deku Tree gave a low hum, before deciding to speak again. “... Though I imagine that he is a top priority to you, Link?”

There was a pause, as each of them clearly pondered which one he was speaking to. Finally, the Four spoke. “... Yes.”

“Wonderful,” answered the Great Deku Tree. “I am pleased to hear it, Link.”

“Can the guy be any more vague about that?” asked the Mirror.

“Hush, Vet,” spoke the Deity, before he turned to the Great Deku Tree. “Great Deku Tree, would you mind if we spent the night here to do some strategic planning?”

The Great Deku Tree gave a low chuckle. “Link, you are always welcome here. You can stay as long as you require. If you have any further questions, you are free to give them.”

That led to Makar leading them to a little cave where some Koroks had already started setting up beds. After calming down the Warrior over the sight of floating leaves setting themselves up as beds, everyone settled down as they waited for the Lost and the Wolf's return from exploring the Haven.

Her Chosen unbuckled the sheath, once more cradling her in his arms. “... You didn't seem too happy with what he said,” he offered to her, holding her out gently, as if trying to carry on a conversation. The others watched in mild confusion as he did this, having seen him trying to speak with her before, never expecting an answer. “... What was it that he said? The thing about the Shadow...? About us?”

She chimed in response.

“... Us, then? You always were so defensive about that.”

“Are you trying to talk to her?” asked the Traveller. “I didn't think you could do that anymore.”

Her Chosen, still gently holding her, shifted. “... Only if you're not trying. She's still there, I know it. You just have to  _ listen  _ for her.”

The Deity scoffed. “What she thinks of this mess is no business of mine. Regardless, it's more things we have to deal with, and I'm not interested in her opinion of it.”

“It's all garbage anyways,” added the Mirror tiredly. “Though I didn't like him trying to imply that this Shadow is a collection of nine different forms of it. For the record, I didn't face  _ just one _ , so I call bull on that.”

“It's as far as  _ he  _ understands it,” the Waker pointed out. “And as far as he's aware, we each should have at  _ least _ one. He's a tree stuck on an island in a huge ocean, I don't expect him to know everything.”

The Four sighed, and the clanging of items implied that gear was being taken off between all of them as they prepared for bed. “I don't think its as simple as he's trying to say that it is, but I do agree that the Shadow is a form made up of dark magic to some degree. But, I don't think it was made by the Goddesses or as a way to... to tame us or whatever he was trying to say back there.”

There was a moment of silence, as the others considered the Four's words. Fi decided to chime in response, startling each of them.

“... It seems the sword agrees,” pointed out the Warrior. “Is that a good thing?”

The Deity huffed.

Her Chosen cradled her gently against his chest. “... She's never been this vocal before. Whatever this is, she has strong opinions of it. Of what we're dealing with.”

The Waker sighed. “And whatever it is, she's not agreeing with the Great Deku Tree.”

“We came here for some answers,” began the Traveller. “... And all we have is more questions.”

Fi chimed in assurance, but the only soul that calmed down was Her Chosen.

“I'm sure we'll figure it all out,” spoke Her Chosen, then. “One day, it will all make sense to us, and we'll look back on this and laugh at how much we took these words to heart.”

“... You say that like its not true,” sighed the Traveller.

The Four hummed. “But, that's a good point. We know there's a chance that it's not. The veteran even said that he didn't face just  _ one  _ shadow of himself, whereas the Tree said there's only one each we should have faced.”

“Veran made four, so chew on that,” added the Mirror for further clarification.

“Let's all sleep on it for now,” the Deity cut in. “The Champion and Ranchhand should be here soon, if they managed to not get lost in here. We'll tell them what the Great Deku Tree told us in the morning.”

“... Really? I was thinking we should just keep it to ourselves...”

“...Is that a good idea?”

“Prolly not, but do you have any  _ better  _ ideas?”

“Just get some sleep, all of you.”

“Joke's on you, old man, I  _ don't  _ sleep.”

“... We noticed.”

She wished with all her heart that she could burst out of her blade. That she could wrap the capes that made her arms around each of them and shield them from the world at this very moment. That she could defend them, protect them, and let them sleep with no worries. That she could smite the Shadow so that it would leave her Masters alone. That she could speak, aloud, to each of them and tell them what the Goddess had planned for this journey.

But, she couldn't. That had all been stripped from her. Now all she could do was watch with her now limited vision.

Now all she could be was a weapon, and no longer a guide.

Now all she was, was a bystander.   
  



End file.
